Five Kids Born Today

Today was a busy day here.

Kari started off April Fool's Day by delivering a doe kid quite suddenly. Her due date was yesterday, but her udder was not filled to over-capacity as we usually use as a sign as to when kidding will begin. Within a short while, she delivered two buck kids right after another...all alive and healthy...a good thing around here. We were surprised that only one of the kids took on the gypsy markings of their tri-color Nigerian sire.



Within a few hours it was obvious that Wroxy was going to deliver. We had suspected her from the night before even though her official due date wasn't until tomorrow. Wroxy delivered her kids easily as well with both being doelings. Once again, we were surprised by the lack of color but they are beautiful just as they are.



We are anxious for the five little kids to get strong on their feet so they can be introduced to Corona, Vega's doe kid, who has been anxiously awaiting a 'playmate' for some time now.

Check the sidebar post to the right for a slideshow of the kids and their moms.

Goat Kids Due This Week

This should prove to be an exciting week around Abernethy Creek Farm. We have a total of three does due to kid this week. There are two miniature dairy does - 50/50 full sized dairy with Nigerian - that are due. Kari freshened last year with quads and Wroxy with triplets. We also have another first freshener miniature dairy doe - 25/75 full sized dairy with Nigerian - who is smaller than the 1st generation miniature does. We are anxious to see the size of her kids. We're anticipating that they will resemble good-sized, full term Nigerian dairy goat kids. Pictures will be up as soon as we can get them once those kids are here.

Mini Nubians have arrived!

Yes, our newest Doe, Wroxy, a mini Nubian finally got down to business after 11:30 p.m last night and delivered triplets ... one buck before midnight, a doe right after midnight, and a stillborn buck a while later. I would have guessed two kids or the possibility of one larger one but never three! She carried them down low and not too wide apparently so it was harder to tell.

She seemed a little distracted Sunday a.m. but we left her out anyway while we were gone in the morning. Early afternoon, however, we decided it was time to convert one of the horse stalls into a kidding stall. She roomed there all evening with a dry yearling to keep her company, but we could tell she would kid that night ... arching her back and stretching ... milk bag filling very full ... calling more than normal.

Just after getting a heat light set up along with a cot for Megan to spend the night and the rest of us getting ready for bed, Wroxy decided she would have her kids that night. After several serious pushes, it became evident that there was a lot of pressure going on. While inspecting her, the bag broke and relieved that pressure. It was then apparent that the kid wasn’t lined up right. But before we could think about it, she pushed out that kid butt first! A little buck, probably no bigger than three pounds. She didn’t take to licking him right away … a new mom thing … but finally got the hang of it. Pretty soon another round of pushes brought a little larger doe presented the correct way, thankfully. While concentrating on getting these two dry in the freezing temperatures, we realized that she wasn’t getting up to let them nurse. I began to think that there just might be a third. She did finally begin another series of pushes and delivered a stillborn buckling even larger than the doeling. Looking back, we probably should have gotten her up and “bounced” her to see if there was another kid and assisted in getting it out sooner as she didn’t deliver it right away. But, as with everything, you are always learning.

Wroxy - Miniature Nubian Dairy Goat

What’s black, white, and a little obnoxious? Our miniature Nubian dariy goat, Ober D’ Rainbow PD Wroxy. Even though Wroxy is a little vocal at times, she has been a great addition to our herd. Showing, breeding, and just owning her has been a great experience.



Two years ago at the Clackamas County fair, one of the 4-H members in our club was selling off all of her goats, and one of them just happened to be Wroxy. She was a yearling at the time and of all things had been raised by a Pygmy goat mother. The decision to add to our herd was rather sudden but it all worked out. Since Goat Princess was set on breeding and raising minis, and Wroxy’s owner was heartbroken because she had to sell all of her goats, Goat Princess insisted on the purchase of Wroxy. She agreed to pay for her herself, and we took her home a few days after fair ended. It took quite awhile for her to be accepted by our other does, but she soon found comfort from our Alpine doe Windy, and they became fast friends.

That fall, we bred her to a Nigerian dwarf dairy goat named Ben, and on March 30th and 31st, she had three kids. Around 11:55 pm on March 30th, she kidded a buckling named Romeo. At about 12:05 am on the 31st of March, she kidding a doeling named Juliet. About ten minutes later, she had yet another, but stillborn, buckling. Wroxy has been a great mother and developed a nice udder. At the 2008 county fair, she and her doeling, Juliet, were taken to fair along with all of our other goats. Wroxy took first in her class and Juliet took second place in hers.



After fair we bred her again to Ben, and on April Fool's Day this year, she gave birth to two doelings, Renesmee and Bella. She once again is proving to be a great mother with a very nice udder.



As you can see, Wroxy has become a valuable member of our herd. She has turned out to be a good breeding doe and an attentive mother, two things you need to be thankful for. Our herd wouldn’t be the same without her.